Go Skiing

Be it downhill or cross country, skiing is a great way to enjoy the winter. In our family, downhill is the choice. This could be expensive but a little creative shopping, attendance at equipment swaps and smart Christmas gift lists to grannies, grand dads, aunts, uncles, etc can really cut down the cost.

This family's mom and dad have been very clever and much to the kids joy, Santa managed to find everything they need to ski this winter. Goggles, helmets and mitts are new. Everything else was purchased at ski swaps or traded among friends, to be returned when the kids out grow them and/or new little ones are ready to hit the slopes.

 Even the littlest member of the family (age 3 1/2) is ready to go.

Once the family is equipped the next expense is tow tickets. I suggest you shop around at ski hills within an easy drive from your home. Many offer season passes and family passes at greatly reduced prices. Also, you sould pick a hill suitable for small children - these are usually a lot less expensive as those with black runs, lots of moguls, etc. Save these for the few special days when Mom and Dad get to go on their own.

So Here's the Snow      Build a Snowman      Great Tree for the Birds

Sea Kayak on New Year's Eve

Eastern Archipelago Islands, Tangier, Nova Scotia

In early December I met an interesting couple at a party. They have a home near Tangier, Nova Scotia, the small fishing village where I grew up. The discussion quickly turned to the beauty of the coastline in this area and the opportunities to kayak out to the islands in the eastern archipelago, which lie just of the coast. It is a very popular area for sea kayaking as these pristine islands are easy to reach by kayak, have lots of beaches for landing and are great fun to explore. Nova Scotia's oldest sea kayaking company, Coastal Adventures operates from Tangier.

Our new friends told us they celebrated New Year's Eve in 1999 - the turn of the millennium - by kayaking out to the islands at midnight. There was a full moon and it was very cold. The sea water formed ice wings on their paddles as they slid through the silent night. Sounds wonderful doesn't it? I hope we have the opportunity to experience this some day. Not tonight though as we are hosting the neighbourhood party to welcome 2010. Happy New Year to all and all the best in 2010.

Go Outside and Get Healthy

There is no snow here yet and it has not been cold enough for the local outdoor rink to freeze so we are still doing a lot of hiking. And planning ahead.

In January I will be participating in the the Ten on 10 Healthy Challenge and invite you to join me. I will write about our (Arch is joining me) progress once a week. On Friday. The rest of the time this blog will be about what it is always about - going outside and having fun. Not that this challenge will not be fun, I think it will, but you never know.

Arch and I are not young chickens but we do not think of ourselves as being old - he is 69 and I am 67 - and at this stage in life it is not easy to lose weight. At the same time, good health is the greatest asset we have and we plan to hang on to it. That means controlling our weight and blood pressure. Without pills.

Our goals are:

Anne:

• Lose 1lb/week for 10 weeks.
  
• Be able to walk uphill for 6kms in 1 hour. (that is from my sister's home to ours)

Arch:

• Lose 2 lbs a week for 10 weeks.
  
• Reduce upper end blood pressure by 20 points.

How we will do it:

• GI Diet.
  
• Walking.
• Hiking
  
• Yoga (Anne).
  
• Gym (Arch).

Are you ready to join us. If so register here.

December Views

Great Tree For The Birds

photo by Linda Monk Fahie

It is unlikely that you are going to select this lonely tree to serve as the family Christmas tree but it would be great to decorate for the birds.

For years my husband, Arch, and I lived in Ontario and drove "home" to Nova Scotia every Christmas. Beside the highway between Grand Falls and Fredericton New Brunswick, there was always a tree that someone decorated with an assortment of food for the birds and, I expect, the deer.

One year we stopped to peruse the menu. It contained quite a selection of goodies: Suet with seeds in cages, oranges stuck with sunflower seeds, peanuts in mesh bags, a couple of bird feeders with niger seeds, & corn cobs. There were even a couple of mesh bags filled with pieces of wool that the birds could use in their nests.

This would be a great project for the little ones with help from some adults to get some goodies to the top of the tree, out of reach of the deer.

December Views

Go Outside and Throw Snowballs

Most of the year our dog, Tara, works hard as the official greeter at The Bay Hammock Company. But she gets the winter off - not many people buy hammocks after the snow flies. This works for Tara as she loves the snow.

We can learn a lot about playing in the snow from our dogs. Tara here was so excited by the snow this morning she refused to come in for breakfast. (that says a lot as she is a Lab) She raced around in circles, jumping up and down and barking with glee. Nothing would do but we had to go out and throw snowballs for her. We had a grand time, got lots of exercise and worked up a good appetite for breakfast.

December Views

December Picnic

It is a beautiful day in our area today. A great chance for one last hike in the forest before the snow flies. And one more picnic.

I like to keep the food simple: hot soup, cheddar cheese, bread of some type and an energy cookie.

Each person takes a backpack, even the little ones. I pack the soup in individual thermoses, add a spoon, the pre-cut cheese, biscuits and cookies, all wrapped in a cloth napkin and drop them into each backpack.

This recipe for Super Immunity Soup from Susie the Foodie is rapidly becoming a family favourite and will definitely keep you warm on a chilly day.

Plain old Canadian tea biscuits are great with this soup and are very simple to make:

Tea Biscuits

Ingredients:
3 cups sifted flour
2 tbsp baking powder
34 tsp salt
2 tbsp white sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter to a fine meal. Make a well in the centre and add milk. Stir well.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead 10 times. you may need to add more flour if dough is too sticky. Roll or pat out to 1/2" thick and cut with a floured cutter.

Place about 1" apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven 15 to 18 minutes until nice and brown.

Go Outside and have a great picnic before the weather gets too cold.

December Views

December Sunset

Sunday night family supper is a ritual in our family. It is a time of the week when everyone gathers to discuss the past week's activities and news and make plans for the coming week. While are not a large family there are usually between 12 and 20 for supper so it is always nice when the 6 little people can go outside to play for a while and give the adults a chance to visit. As sunset comes early this time of year outdoor games can be a challenge. That makes flashlight tag an important addition to our games repertoire.

It is a simple game but the kids love it:

• Somebody has to be chosen as "it".
• This child gets a flashlight and hides his/her eyes and counts to 10.
• Everyone else runs and hides in the dark corners of the yard.
• The child who is "it"searches for them with the flashlight.
• As soon as the flashlight spots a child he/she is considered found.
• The search continues until all children are found. This is an important safety feature - we don't want to loose anyone.
• Then the first one found is "it" for the next round.

This game keeps everyone entertained until supper is served.

December Views